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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28029324">Déjà-vu of the Worst Kind</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/sugarandspace/pseuds/sugarandspace'>sugarandspace</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Shadowhunters (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Established Relationship, Healing, Hurt/Comfort, Immortal Alec Lightwood, Immortal Husbands Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, M/M, Near Death Experiences, Post-Canon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 23:07:51</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,701</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28029324</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/sugarandspace/pseuds/sugarandspace</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Even after five years, the memory of Alec laying on the ground with a deadly injury on his chest is strong and vivid. Especially when their lives lead them to a situation much too similar to that. The only difference is that this time, Magnus is able to help. And he's going to do all he can to make sure Alec stays alive.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>98</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>The Malec Secret Santa - Edition 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Déjà-vu of the Worst Kind</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/brightasstars/gifts">brightasstars</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I had a lot of fun writing this! We share a lot of likes and I knew immediately what I wanted to write when I read the email! I hope you enjoy!! &lt;3</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It didn’t matter that they’d been living in Alicante for nearly five years, New York would always be a home for Alec. So when Isabelle called and told him about the threat the city was facing, it didn’t take long before Alec was canceling all his meetings for the next few days and organizing a trip to the New York institute.</p><p>All it took was one phone call before Magnus was canceling all his appointments so he could go with him.</p><p>It didn’t matter when people in Alicante tried to argue that they were too important to join a fight that could be handled by the Shadowhunters of New York. Their friends and family were in danger and there would be nothing that would stop them from helping them.</p><p>So less than two hours after Isabelle had called Alec, Magnus and Alec were standing in the operations center of the New York institute, surrounded by familiar people.</p><p>“So this is where we think they are hiding,” Isabelle says and points to a spot on the hologram map. To Magnus’ relief, he notes that it’s far from the city center, in a less populated area that looks to be full of warehouses. “There have been spikes in demonic activity around this area, and our patrols have had a significant increase in demon sightings inside this circle.”</p><p>Isabelle’s painted nail follows the red circle on the map, about a mile in diameter.</p><p>“Have any patrols been able to inspect the warehouse?” Alec asks, obviously talking about the warehouse in the middle of the circle, glowing with most demonic activity.</p><p>“One patrol,” Jace says from Alec’s right.</p><p>“They didn’t make it out of there,” Clary finishes for him.</p><p>“And that’s why we need a plan,” Isabelle says, her voice that of a strong leader. “We can’t just storm in there without one. We have very little information about the situation but we have to make do with what we have. The levels of demonic activity are rising every day and it’s our best chance to act as soon as we can.”</p><p>“What do we know?” Magnus asks, and their friends and family start filling them in.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>“Do you think our plan will work?” Alec asks from beside him. They are on top of a shipping container that’s near the entrance of the warehouse, Alec with his bow and Magnus with his hands sparking with magic. The higher vantage point gives them a better opportunity to help others. The sun is just rising above the horizon and when Magnus looks around the group on the ground and on the shipping containers around them, he sees a lot of familiar faces among the ones that are new. There are a lot of Shadowhunters, but since the alliances with Downworlders are stronger than ever, there are a lot of them there as well. </p><p>Everyone is ready to protect their home against a common enemy.</p><p>“I hope so,” Magnus replies and takes one last steadying breath.</p><p>Alec nods at Isabelle who’s standing at the ground level with her whip, and Isabelle nods back.</p><p>“NOW!” She yells and four arrows fly and land on the large doors in the front of the warehouse. The lights on the arrows blink a few times before the arrows explode, blowing the doors off their hinges.</p><p>It takes less than a second until the demons start pouring from the doors.</p><p>Magnus loses the track of time, his only focus on keeping the others safe. Alec is a solid presence next to him, shooting an arrow after an arrow, all of them sinking to their targets. It’s been a while since they’ve taken part to a mission that intense, their jobs at Alicante vastly calmer than their jobs in New York ever were. But it seems to go smoothly, the spells coming to Magnus from memory.</p><p>He loses his focus when he hears Alec scream. </p><p>He turns around immediately and sees that one of the demons has climbed up the side of the shipping container, trying to get to them from the back. From the looks of it Alec had placed himself in between Magnus and the demon, and now the demon is claws deep in Alec’s chest. Alec’s hands are by his sides, an arrow laying next to his hand.</p><p>And he screams in agony.</p><p>Magnus sees red, and the force of the magic he throws towards the demon is so strong it turns the demon to dust immediately. Magnus casts a protective shield around them to prevent any more demons from sneaking to them and kneels next to Alec.</p><p>“Alexander,” he says as he looks at the state of Alec’s chest. </p><p>Alec is still conscious, but obviously in too much pain to speak. His hand comes up to take a hold of Magnus’ jacket, and the bloody fingers curl into it tightly.</p><p>“It’s okay,” Magnus says, convincing himself as much as he’s trying to convince Alec. “It’s going to be okay.”</p><p>“Magnus what is going on?!” Jace screams from the ground level. He’s obviously felt his parabatai getting hurt.</p><p>“Alexander is hurt!” He tells him while his hands spark with healing magic. He starts pushing the magic towards Alec’s chest and it sinks into the wounds fast.</p><p>“Can you help him?!”</p><p>Magnus hears Jace ask the question but he doesn't know how to reply. He wants to yell yes, wants to promise Jace that his brother will be fine, but his throat feels thick because he can’t say if it’s the truth or not. </p><p>Apparently, Jace isn’t happy with not getting an answer because a second later he’s climbing on top of the shipping container. He staggers in his steps when he sees Alec laying on the ground, his chest so bloody it’s hard to see the wounds. Magnus’ protective shield lets him pass easily, and Jace kneels on the other side of Alec.</p><p>“Magnus?” Jace asks, and Magnus shifts his attention from the wounds to briefly look at Jace’s terrified face, and Magnus’ own look must be an answer enough because Jace takes Alec’s hand and eases the fingers from the white-knuckled grip he’s squeezed them in, and they both turn their attention back to Alec.</p><p>“It’s going to be fine,” Magnus says, like saying the words will bring them to existence. “It’s going to be fine.”</p><p>He’s not going to let it end badly.</p><p>The situation brings memories to the surface. Memories from over five years ago when they were in a badly lit alley in a similar situation, Alec bleeding on the ground with Magnus kneeling next to him. But this time something is different, this time Magnus has his magic, and this time he’s able to help. And he’s going to do all he can to make sure Alec will survive.</p><p>His hands shake from all the power that’s coursing through them, and he can feel exhaustion creeping in. He can also see how Alec’s eyes threaten to slip closed despite his efforts and despite the iratzes Jace keeps drawing on him, so he keeps pushing. Alec’s grip on his jacket loosens and Magnus’ eyes threaten tears.</p><p>All his focus is on Alec, so he startles when he feels Jace slip his hand to one of his.</p><p>“Take my strength,” he says.</p><p>Magnus holds the hand tightly and pulls, and the new rush of energy makes him jolt a little. He can see the wounds start to knit themselves slowly closed, but he fears it might be too late, that Alec might have already lost too much blood. He focuses on the labored rise and fall of Alec’s chest and keeps pushing.</p><p>He has enough mind to let go of Jace’s hand when he knows he’s about to pull too much.</p><p>But he doesn’t stop. He knows he doesn’t have much to give anymore, but every last bit of magic he finds, he pushes to Alec’s body. He won’t be able to live with himself if he loses Alec and knows he didn’t do all he could.</p><p>“Magnus,” Jace says carefully, but Magnus ignores him.</p><p>Magnus starts to sway, and he has no idea how the fight is going around them but he pushes and pushes, ignoring the way his vision starts to blacken around the edges. All his focus is on Alec until he falls next to his husband, unconscious.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>When Magnus wakes up, he knows immediately that he’s not at home. It takes him a moment to realise why he’s at the infirmary in New York Institute but when he does, the heart monitor next to him starts to beep like crazy. He looks around the room and doesn’t see Alec anywhere. His eyes land on the only other person in the room. Catarina.</p><p>“Where is he?” Magnus asks. He refuses to phrase the question in a way that would leave room for the doubt if his husband is alive. He has to be.</p><p>“He’s alive,” Catarina says, getting straight to the point, which Magnus appreciates immensely. He lays back against the bed and lets out a sigh of relief.</p><p>“Where is he?” Magnus asks again. He pulls the wires from the heart monitor away and tries to snap his fingers to change out of the infirmary clothes. A few sparks come out but nothing happens, aside from the dizziness Magnus can suddenly feel.</p><p>“Don’t try to use your magic,” Catarina says and helps him sit steadily at the edge of the bed. “You used so much of it to keep Alec alive that you’re seriously depleted.”</p><p>“How long was I out?” Magnus asks because he knows how his body reacts to magic depletion, and based on how weak he feels, this truly must have been the worst case yet. </p><p>“Three days,” Catarina answers him. Magnus had expected to get the answer in hours, so three days really throws him off. It also makes fear spark in his chest anew.</p><p>“Where’s Alec?” He repeats his earlier question. </p><p>“In the room next to yours,” Catarina says. “It’s taking him a while to heal completely.”</p><p>“But he’s going to heal fully?” Magnus asks. “There’s no lasting damage?”</p><p>“No damage,” Catarina says. “But they are running some tests on him.”</p><p>“What is that supposed to mean?” Magnus asks. “What are they testing?”</p><p>Catarina is normally not one to skirt around any topic, so her troubled face gives Magnus more anxiety than he’s able to take when they are talking about his husband.</p><p>“I need to see him right now,” Magnus says and starts to get up. Catarina puts a hand on his shoulder and pushes him down gently so that he’s sitting on the edge of the bed again.</p><p>“There’s something you need to know before you do,” Catarina tells him.</p><p>“Just tell me already!” Magnus says, starting to lose his temper. He wants to see Alec and he needs to know what’s wrong with him.</p><p>“You pushed a lot of magic into his body,” Catarina starts to explain. “A lot more than you should have, one could say. I’m not saying you shouldn’t have tried so hard to heal him, because your magic is the reason he’s alive, but I’m saying that normally warlocks aren’t able to give that big of a portion of their magic to someone else. The strength with what you pushed saved his life, but it also had some side effects.”</p><p>“Like what?” Magnus asks. He feels lightheaded for a whole new reason. What has he done?</p><p>“The magic did more than just healed him,” Catarina says gently, her hand a comforting weight on Magnus’ shoulder. “Some of it stayed in him, became a part of his body. By the tests we’ve done, it doesn't seem to be fading. It’s tied so strongly to his life power that it has become a permanent part of him.”</p><p>“What does that mean?” Magnus asks, fear in his voice. He’s never heard of something like that happening and doesn’t know what effect it has on someone, especially if that someone is a Shadowhunter, with his own kind of magic already in him.</p><p>“Alec is immortal,” Catarina tells him.</p><p>Magnus’ world tilts on its axis. He doesn’t know how to feel. Disbelief is strong, and a part of him thinks he heard wrong or that he will wake up later and find out this was all a dream. There’s a part of him that’s happy, elated to know that he’ll get to have Alec for longer than a short human lifespan. </p><p>Above all, he’s terrified.</p><p>Immortality is not something you force on someone else. It has its downsides, plenty of them, and there have been times when Magnus has cursed it, wished he never had it. What if Alec hates him for what he’s done, no matter if it was unintentional? Magnus feels guilty for the happiness he feels for the slight chance that Alec might welcome it.</p><p>“I need to see him,” Magnus says, his voice shaking. This time Catarina helps him stand, and Magnus is grateful for the support. Catarina leads him to the hallway, and then through the door next to his. Magnus comes face to face with Alec who is sitting in his bed, smiling widely as he talks with Isabelle who sits on a chair next to the bed.</p><p>“Alexander,” Magnus breathes out. He doesn’t know what to say, how to start this difficult conversation they are about to have. </p><p>“Hey Magnus,” Alec says, still smiling. “Did Cat tell you?”</p><p>“You’re immortal,” Magnus says and nods. His voice is monotone, not giving away anything he feels. He doesn't know how he should feel. Catarina is still helping him stay standing, the magic depletion affecting more than just his powers.</p><p>“You’re not happy?” Alec asks, his expression deflating.</p><p>“You are?” Magnus asks, cautious to get his hopes up.</p><p>“Only if you are as well,” Alec says, the smile replaced with worry. </p><p>“I’m really happy,” Magnus confesses, his eyes tearing up at the relief. There’s still some embarrassment in the confession, a voice in the back of his head saying what he did was wrong, no matter if it was intentional or not. He takes a step further into the room and Catarina helps him until he’s standing right next to Alec’s bed. Catarina lets go of him as he leans to embrace Alec, his tears finally falling.</p><p>“I’m sorry,” he says, because he has to. “I’m sorry I did this without asking you.”</p><p>“It’s okay,” Alec says. “I’ve had a few days to think about it, and I get that it has its downsides as well. But I’m being honest when I say that I’m happy. No time I could spend with you is long enough. I’m never going to leave you, Magnus.”</p><p>Magnus is unable to answer with words, but he holds Alec with all the strength his weak body has, and he cries harder against his shoulder. He doesn’t even hear it when Isabelle and Catarina leave the room to give them privacy.</p><p>“Did you know this was going to happen?” Alec asks after a while, his hand brushing gently up and down Magnus’ back while he slowly calms down. “I’m guessing no, because Cat said this is something she hasn’t ever heard of before.”</p><p>“No,” Magnus answers as he pulls away to look at Alec. Alec lifts one of his hands to brush some of Magnus’ tears away and Magnus leans to the touch. He feels like he shouldn’t be the one being comforted. “I’ve never heard of anything like this either.”</p><p>“Well,” Alec says, the smile returning to his lips. “I’m really happy it did.”</p><p>“Me too,” Magnus replies and returns Alec’s smile. “I love you so much.”</p><p>“I love you too.”</p><p>Magnus knows the topic isn’t fully settled, that they need to talk about this more when things have calmed down and they’ve both had time to process it. There will be bad times ahead, moments when Alec really feels the weight of immortality, but Magnus swears he’s going to be there for him through it all. The future ahead of them is hopeful, and the most important thing is that Alec is alive and breathing next to him.</p>
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